Once A Con, Always A Con
by blueland10
Summary: "You're just a con Neal. Once a con always a con, nothing else." Keller said his foot hovering above Neal's chest. Neal's head rolled to the side, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. "No one will ever help out a con like you."


"_Do you even know what this life is anymore? I mean, you're... on a leash. You're still in prison. You have Stockholm syndrome…You're fooling yourself if you think this is who you really are."_

Mozzie's words echoed around in his head as he sat at his kitchen table. The bight city lights shown like diamonds in the velvety night sky, yet Neal couldn't take any joy in them. He couldn't feel happy or sad or even angry. All he felt was numb. Was Mozzie right? Was he fooling himself? Could this life, this life with Peter, forever be out of reach? Was it so wrong for him to want to help the FBI? All his life he's been able to take whatever he wanted when he wanted it, why couldn't he do this now? Why couldn't he just have this life, this life with Sara and Peter?

Just then, his door opened and in walked Mozzie. Neal could feel his jaw drop to the floor. He was sure that Mozzie was half way to god knows where with the treasure by now, but there he was standing in his apartment, a blank expression on his face.

"Mozzie…" he breathed slowly getting to his feet.

"I heard what happened to Elizabeth." Mozzie said his tone icy cold. "It's your fault."

"What-"

"Keller took her because of you."

"No Moz, I didn't have anything to do with it."

"Sure you didn't." a new voice said. Neal spun around to find Peter standing in his door way. The look on his face was ten times worse then what Neal saw when Elizabeth was taken. "You had the treasure that could have saved her."

"Peter, I don't have the treasure, Moz-Moz stole It." he pleaded wishing, begging that Peter would stop crying.

"Oh so it's my fault?" Mozzie snapped venom in his eyes. "It's my fault that Keller took Elizabeth?"

"No Moz I didn't mean that, that's not what I meant."

"Sure it was!" he hissed. "You would do anything to keep your little life of the leash even if that meant throwing you best friend under the bus!"

"Moz, no, it's not like that."

"She's dead Neal!" Peter yelled somewhere between a sob and a scream.

"What?" Neal breathed his stomach dropping to the floor.

"Keller killed her!" he cried. "He killed my wife because of you!"

"No Peter…no…"

"It's true Caffrey; Mrs. Burke is no longer with us." Keller said stepping out of the shadows. "Such a shame too, she was a feisty one. But you had to be so selfish and keep all that treasure to yourself. You could have saved her."

"Keller you bastard!" Neal yelled his voice shaking with anger. Every fiber in his body was itching to tear Keller apart. Neal took a step toward Keller but before he could move, something hard collided with the side of his head sending him crashing to the floor. Neal was dazed as he looked up at the swarming figure above him. He tasted metallic in his mouth and his jaw throbbed painfully. Keller was smirking at him, rubbing his fist proudly.

"Not so fast Caffrey." He sneered. "You have to pay for what you did."

Keller placed a forceful kick to Neal's side, pushing the air out of his lungs. Pain seared down his side as Keller continuously kicked him over and over, each swing of his leg deeper and more powerful then the last. Neal curled himself up in a ball and bit his lip fighting the urge to scream out in pain.

"Peter…Mozzie…" he gasped as he heard the sickening crack of bone. He looked for them through his burry eyes, begging for them to come to his aid, but they just stood there, watching.

"They won't help you Caffrey." Keller laughed. "Why would they help a little snot like you?"

"Please…"

"You can't have this life Neal, no matter how hard you try." Mozzie said simply, his hands in his pockets. "It's not who you are and the sooner you realize that the better." He gave Neal one last look before walking out the door. Another kick landed painfully on his chest. Blood caught in his throat, choking him. Tears streamed freely from his eyes, the pain eating on his body relentlessly.

"I trusted you Neal." Peter cried. "I trusted you and you lied to me. Now she's gone. I-I-she's gone because of you."

The kicks came in faster and harder now. Neal began gagging on his own blood, the pain becoming unbearable. He wanted it to stop. He wanted to slip away, to go somewhere where he was alone, no pain, no guilt, nothing. He wanted to die.

"You're just a con Neal. Once a con always a con, nothing else." Keller said his foot hovering above Neal's chest. Neal's head rolled to the side, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. "No one will ever help out a con like you."

Keller's foot came down hard on his chest then there was nothing.

Neal's eyes snapped open.

He was face down on the floor haven fallen off of his bed. His body shook and beads of sweat had formed on his brow. Gingerly he pushed himself up into a sitting position and ran his hands over his face. The pain from his dream was still vivid in his mind, Keller's words, Mozzie's disappointment, and Peter's anguish burning like a fire.

They were right about one thing. Elizabeth's kidnapping was his fault. If he had just taken the treasure and ran then none of this would have happened. But then again he couldn't leave this life and he wasn't about to leave it now. Neal got to his feet and began pulling on clothes, determination in his heart. He wouldn't let Peter down. He'd prove to him that he can be trusted, that he was loyal and a friend. He would bring Elizabeth back, no matter the cost.

Neal wasn't just a con. And he was going to show that to the world.

* * *

><p><strong>An: Just a short little one shot I had rolling around in my head. Thought I would share it. Hope you enjoyed it :)**


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